Marinating grape leaves for dolma for the winter. Grape leaves for traditional dolma

The most famous and popular dish made from grape leaves - dolma, but the list of recipes does not end there. You can wrap small pieces of meat in them, wrap a thin layer of phyllo dough on top and bake in the oven. They can also be salted and used in winter, you just need to have time to collect the tender young leaves.

Before you start pickling, the grape leaves must be collected and prepared; this process remains the same in every recipe. To make the final dish tasty, use only young leaves of approximately the same size and it is advisable that the grapes be of white varieties: oddly enough, they have more pleasant taste. Then the leaves should be sorted and sorted by diameter, washed thoroughly, and then soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.

When pickling, it is very important to use only clean water, filtered or bottled, plain water from the tap is not suitable, as it noticeably changes the taste not in better side. After soaking, rinse the leaves again with running water and proceed to pickling. The tails can be cut off or left untouched - they are very convenient for removing leaves from the jar. The recipe for canning grape leaves is not such a rare occurrence, we offer you several.

How to pickle grape leaves in the easiest way

This recipe for pickling grape leaves is good not only for its simplicity, but also because the taste of the leaves is neutral and can be used for the most variety of dishes no limits.

Ingredients:

grape leaves - 1 kilogram;
non-iodized salt - 4 tbsp.
brine:
water - 1 l;
salt - 1.5 tbsp.

How to pickle grape leaves:

Pour boiling water over the prepared leaves for 3 minutes. Be sure to set the time with a timer and do not overcook, otherwise they will boil and fall apart. Quickly drain the boiling water.
Cool the sheets, collect them in stacks of 10-15 pieces and roll them into tight rolls.
Place the rolls tightly in the jar, generously sprinkling salt on each layer.
Prepare the brine: boil 1 liter of water, add one and a half tablespoons of salt, stir to dissolve, then remove from heat and cool completely.
Pour the cooled brine into jars, place them on a tray and leave at room temperature for 14 days.
Grape leaves will ferment for two weeks, then you need to prepare a new portion of brine and add as needed so that each jar is filled to the very top. Then close the jars with tight lids and store in the refrigerator or other cool, dark place. An open jar can be stored for no more than 5 days.

Salted grape leaves with mustard

This recipe for pickling grape leaves for the winter does not require fermentation, you just need to pour the brine into a jar and you can store it all winter at room temperature, for example, in a closet or pantry. The amount of ingredients is calculated for a small 300 ml jar, this is very convenient if you have few leaves and want to pickle just a little. If necessary, simply increase the amount of products, but be sure to maintain the proportion.

Components:

grape leaves - 60 pcs;
dry mustard - 1 tsp;
black pepper - 2 peas;
salt - 1 tsp. with a small top.

How to pickle grape leaves for the winter:

Scald the prepared leaves with boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Drain, cool and rinse thoroughly.
Place the leaves in stacks of 10 and roll them into a tube or envelope, as you prefer. The shape doesn't matter, try both to decide the best option. Grapes can be different, stiffer or more flexible, so sometimes it is easier to wrap tubes, and sometimes it is easier to wrap envelopes. Place them tightly in the jar.
Sprinkle one teaspoon of dry mustard and salt on top, add 2 black peppercorns.
Boil water and pour boiling water into the jar to the very edges, and then quickly screw on a tight lid and turn it upside down until it cools completely.
Place the cooled jars in a dark place.

Pickled grape leaves with mint

Ingredients:

grape leaves - 1 kg;
mint - 1 medium-sized bunch;
salt - 1/2 tbsp.

How to salt grape leaves for the winter:

Sterilize glass jars and their lids.
Place the prepared leaves in stacks of 10 pieces, place one sprig of mint in the center of each stack and roll them tightly into rolls. Place rolls in jars in an upright position.
Prepare the brine: bring 1 liter of water to a boil, add salt, and strain.
Pour the brine into the jars, screw on the lids and leave to cool. Store in a dark place at room temperature.

Recipe for pickled cucumbers in grape embrace

This universal recipe 2-in-1: delicious crispy cucumbers and grape leaves, pickled in one jar. Amazing taste, bright green color and two wonderful dishes will be ready for your table at once - amazing salted cucumbers and grape leaves, from which you can prepare homemade dolma.

Ingredients for 1 three-liter jar:

cucumbers - 2 1/2 kg;
grape leaves - the same number as cucumbers individually;
water - 1 l.;
apple juice - 300 ml;
salt - 50 g;
sugar - 50 g.

Grape leaf - harvesting for the winter with cucumbers:

In this recipe it is important to choose the right cucumbers: they must be strong, of the same small size and must be even. If they were picked from the garden a couple of days ago, they need to be watered before cooking. cold water and soak for two hours. Then rinse and you can start salting.
Usually they turn yellow and acquire a greenish-brown tint. To avoid this and maintain a bright green color, before placing them in jars, they must be poured with boiling water and blanched for two minutes, and then quickly transferred to ice water for another two minutes. This process does not affect the taste in any way, only the color, so if you don’t have time for additional manipulations, you can skip this stage, the cucumbers will still be tasty.
Wrap each cucumber tightly in a grape leaf and place in a sterilized 3-liter jar.
Prepare the brine: combine 1 liter of water, apple juice, sugar and salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer low heat 5 minutes.
Pour over hot pickle into a jar with cucumbers, leave for 3-5 minutes, and then drain. The exposure time depends on the size of the cucumbers: for small ones, 3 minutes will be enough, and for larger ones, at least 5 minutes will be needed. Boil the marinade again, pour it into the jar again, wait the required time and drain. Pour the marinade in for the third time, roll up the lid of the jar, turn it upside down, wrap it in a blanket and leave to cool slowly.

Instead of apple juice you can use grape. This option is also good; the taste of the canned food will change slightly and become more subtle, but the juice must be light.
Also, if you wish, if you want to stay closer to tradition, you can add 2 bay leaves and 2 cloves of garlic to get a more familiar hot and spicy taste. Place the completely cooled jar in a dark place.

Recipe for dry pickling in a plastic bottle

To pickle grape leaves according to this recipe, you don’t have to bother with hot brine, and this is a big plus: the taste will remain natural and neutral, you don’t have to soak the leaves in cold water before preparing dolma.

So, we will need:

grape leaves - 50 pieces;
plastic bottle 0.5 l.;
salt - 1 tablespoon.

How to close grape leaves for the winter:

For this recipe, only young, whole and dry leaves are suitable, which grow at the very end of the vine no further than the fourth leaf. Bag them and DO NOT wash them. The surface of each leaf is covered with a fermenting composition, which protects it from spoilage and allows for pickling without the presence of brine.
Collect the leaves in piles of 10 pieces, roll them into tight rolls and place them in a plastic bottle. Using the back end of a wooden spoon or another stick with a wide, rounded tip, tamp down the rolls so that there is as little air between them as possible. Do this carefully, try to press hard, but carefully and do not damage the raw materials.
You may need a little more or less leaves to completely fill the bottle, depending on their size, density, grape variety and how tightly you roll the tubes.
Pour 1 tbsp into a bottle filled to the very top. a spoonful of salt to form a kind of salt plug. The salt should not seep down to the very bottom; a layer of 1-2 cm will be enough.
Close the bottle with a cork and place it in a cool place. Grape leaves salted in this way should only be stored in the refrigerator or in the basement.
After a few days, the leaves will change color and become a little yellower. Don't worry, everything is fine, that's how it should be.
When you decide it's time to prepare the dolma, remove the bottle from the refrigerator, carefully cut it open and carefully remove the contents. Rinse off the salt and the product will be ready for use instantly, no additional preparatory processes are required: unseal the bottle, rinse and cook immediately. Now you know how to salt grape leaves.

Our housewives are accustomed to preparing cabbage rolls by wrapping meat preparation with rice and cabbage leaves. There is a similar dish in the Caucasus, only they use minced lamb, which is wrapped in grape leaves. This dish is called dolma. In general, it turns out to be a kind of version of our cabbage rolls, only in a new wrapper.

Modern housewives have begun to prepare dolma quite often, which is why today I would like to raise the topic of how to prepare grape leaves for cabbage rolls for the winter.

How to prepare grape leaves for the winter

When choosing leaves for dolma, give preference to white grape varieties. It is advisable that the “wrapper” for the future dish be young, cut from a vine located in a remote area away from busy highways and roads. The fact is that the plants located along the roadway are saturated with exhaust gases and other nasty things, as it all settles on the leaves. Such plants can be harmful to health.

There are two ways to prepare grape leaves for the winter: freezing and pickling.

Let's look at both:

Freezing is the most affordable way storing leaflets for a long time. To do this, take grape leaves, rinse thoroughly and dry. Place clean plants in a stack of 7–10 pieces, carefully roll them into a tube and wrap them cling film, in this form, send it to the freezer. Please note that after cold weather the sheets become very fragile, so it is recommended to keep them in a separate compartment and defrost them carefully. If stored correctly, they will remain usable for up to six months;
To pickle grape leaves for later storage, you need to do the following: wash and dry the plants. Roll up the clean sheets into a tube and put them in a jar. It’s best to knock out the container
Make sure there are enough plants in it for one preparation of dolma. Now you need to make the marinade, for this in 1.5 liters warm water dilute 2 tbsp. l. table salt. The resulting composition is poured onto the leaves. Since there will be a certain amount of empty space between the plants due to air, you need to wait until the brine fills the “voids.” You will notice that there is less marinade in the jar, fill the container to the brim. Leave the jars in this state overnight at room temperature. In the morning, you need to close the jar with a rubber lid and put it in the refrigerator or basement. Such leaves can be stored for up to 90 days. Thanks to the marinade, they will turn out to be very tender; by the way, after salting, you can taste them within 3-5 days.

Recipe for making real dolma

You now know how to roll up grape leaves for cabbage rolls for the winter, but let’s also discuss the recipe for this national dish.

To prepare dolma you need:

minced lamb – 750 g;
rice (it is better to take steamed) – 100 g;
grape leaves – 25 pcs.;
butter – 100 g;
salt, spices and herbs at your discretion.

The steps for preparing this delicious dish will be as follows:

Wash the grape leaves thoroughly and leave to dry;
If you took uncooked rice, then scald it with boiling water, otherwise the grain will take a long time to cook;
Mix together chopped meat, prepared rice and butter;
If you like fried onions, you can easily add it to the minced meat;
Now mix the future filling thoroughly. Don't forget to add salt and spices to it. After this, you can begin to form the dolma;
To do this, place a grape leaf on the table and add the filling in the middle. Approximately 1 teaspoon;
Construct an envelope from a grape leaf so that the filling is securely hidden;
If you are cooking with fresh leaves, you may experience the plants unwinding. To cope with the problem, the resulting envelopes need to be secured with thread, which will help keep their shape;
Once you have neat slices, place them in a saucepan and fill with clean liquid. The water should rise about 2 fingers above the dish;
Cover the vessel with a lid and simmer the dolma over low heat for at least 20 minutes. Be sure to remove the threads before serving. After cooking, the sheets will no longer unwind.

That's all for today. Now you know how to preserve grape leaves for the winter, so that even in cold weather you can delight yourself and your loved ones with a delicious dish.

A traditional oriental dish is aromatic dolma, which captivates with its excellent taste. It is based on fresh grape leaves, mixed minced meat, and rice. Following the recipes of a classic dish, even a novice housewife can create a culinary masterpiece. The main thing is to collect in time, then preserve the green gifts of the vineyard - tender, shining in the sun, giving off a slight sourness. Proper preparation will allow you to enjoy original dish all winter.

Appetizing dolma: how to preserve leaves

National cuisine of the peoples of the Middle East and Transcaucasian countries, impressive in richness culinary masterpieces, attracts many. Its brightest representative is the delicious dolma. The main component of the dish is juicy leaves collected from grapevine at the end of May. They are rich in microelements, vitamins, flavonoids, fiber, and antioxidants. Tender meat, thin shell, with slight sourness, spicy aroma– a colorful oriental dish will decorate festive table, family feast, meeting friends.

Grape leaves are used fresh, collected in the spring, or stored for the winter. The latter save everything beneficial features, allowing you to prepare a delicious dish at any time. There are many ways to preserve dolma ingredients:

freezing;
pickling;
canning (cold/hot method);
dry pickling.

An important stage in the procurement process is the selection of raw materials. It must be collected on time, without visible damage, without pests. The best component of dolma is the preparation of leaves collected from varieties white grapes(for example, the Ag Shany variety in Azerbaijan). They are characterized by a smooth surface and delicate texture. Heat treatment opens them up unique aroma, giving the dish a spicy taste.

All kinds of recipes for preparing leaves will allow you to choose a convenient way to preserve useful component dolmas.

Freezing: nuances of the method

The freezing process is a popular method of storing many fruits, vegetables, and berries. Grape leaves will be no exception. IN freezer they will retain their beneficial properties as much as possible. Freezing includes several stages:

cuttings are cut from the leaf plate;
wipe them with a clean cloth;
put in a stack of 10-12 pieces;
carefully roll into a tight roll;
wrapped in cling film.

Great idea to use quick freezing: this will preserve the maximum amount of vitamins.

Advice. It is not recommended to wash the leaves before the harvesting process. When frozen, the excess moisture in them will turn into ice: as a result, they will become brittle, brittle, and it will be difficult to wrap minced meat in them.

Before use, the leaves are thawed, scalded with boiling water, and dolma is obtained, which is impressive. appearance, bright flavors, delicate aroma.

Salting: subtleties of canning

A practical way to prepare leaves is to use steep brine. Prepare a 10% salt solution in advance. The washed grape leaves are placed in jars, then filled with brine: it should completely cover the contents. Cover with lids (nylon or metal) and store in a cool place. It is advisable to rinse them before use: this will get rid of excess salt.

The second method of salting involves long-term storage aromatic ingredients for dolma. IN glass jars, pre-sterilized, lay the leaves rolled into tubes. Scald them with boiling water. The procedure is repeated twice. Then fill with brine (15 g of salt per 1 liter of water). The containers are screwed on with lids. Leaf preparations are used throughout the year, and the contents do not need to be pre-soaked.

Lovers of gourmet oriental dish prepare the green components of dolma in large quantities. For this purpose, salting in barrels is used. The leaves, folded in stacks of 25 pieces, are wrapped in tubes. Place in a circle in a barrel, compact, then fill with cooled brine. The contents of the barrel are covered with cloth, gauze, and a weight is installed.

Advice. To give spicy aroma When pickling, peppercorns, dry mustard, and cumin seeds are poured into a container.

Dry pickling is a practical storage method

First, the vineyard leaves are washed and thoroughly dried. Then they are placed in glass jars, carefully sprinkled with salt. The contents are compacted tightly. The next stage is sterilization, lasting about 15 minutes. Then the jars are hermetically sealed. When dry canned, the leaves look freshly picked from the vine, retaining their unique aroma, excellent taste qualities.

The second option is the dry salting method. It is increasingly preferred experienced housewives. Plastic bottles, salt, fresh leaves- everything you need for a rational storage method. Each leaf plate, cleaned of dust, is salted, wrapped in a knot, and placed in a container. Tightly packed into plastic bottle, they are stored all winter, preferably in the dark, in a cool place. Before preparing aromatic dolma, the preparations are soaked in water, washed, and blanched.

Having picked up suitable recipe, any housewife will be able to preserve grape leaves filled with freshness, spring, and the life-giving power of nature. They will become the basis of dolma that melts in your mouth, reflecting the flavor of the East.

Harvesting grape leaves: video

The main use of grape leaves is cooking. As a rule, young leaves of white grapes are eaten. The most favorable time for collecting such leaves is considered to be the flowering period of the grapevine. Gentle succulent leaf, collected during this period, has a pleasant sour taste.

Red grape leaves are used much less frequently because they are tougher and have a very uneven edge.

An extremely useful property of grape leaves for cooking is their ability to reveal their taste during heat treatment(cooking, baking, frying or stewing). During the cooking process, they perfectly absorb the aroma of other products, and also willingly give off some of their own fresh taste.

Combining it with smoked meats or with fatty types meat, for example, with lamb. In addition, grape leaves go well with beans, lentils or chickpeas. Young tender leaves, along with honey and dried fruits, are included in the recipe for sweet pilaf.

Grape leaves are great for cooking stuffed dishes. The most famous of them is dolma (tolma) , which is known not only to the peoples of the Middle East and Transcaucasia, but also to Europeans. Meat is wrapped in leaves withrice , the dish is steamed, baked in a saucepan or fried in a pan and served hot. They also make vegetarian dolma (with rice), which is usually served chilled.

Grape leaves can also be stuffed with fish. Classic dish cuisine of Sephardi Jews - “siniya” - is baked fish (for example, trout, mullet or crucian carp) in grape leaves, with “tahina” (sesame sauce) and pomegranate seeds.

Grape leaves can be prepared for the winter, and this is usually done in the spring, when they are most tender. One way is to wrap them tightly in fabric, paper, or best of all, in polyethylene, trying to leave as little air as possible inside this “package,” and put them in the freezer. When defrosting, the leaves must first be kept in cold water, then immersed in hot water for about five minutes.

Grape leaves can be salted and pickled. Here are some ways:

1 Wash grape leaves (3-4 vine leaves) in cold water. Roll 20 leaves into tubes and tie. Place the prepared tubes one by one in boiling water for a few seconds. and then in cold water. Immediately place the tubes in half liter jars and pour 40 grams of salt into 1 liter of water with cold brine. We don’t roll up the jars. and leave it to ferment for three days. After three days, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and brine to each jar. if the jars are not full. We sterilize the jars for 15-20 minutes and roll them up.

2 Collect young grape leaves and wash. Roll up rolls of 5-7 leaves and place in half-liter jars. Pour boiling water over it twice, and the third time pour in the marinade prepared in required quantity. in the specified proportion. for preparing the marinade: for 1 liter of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar and 2 tablespoons of 9% vinegar. Before cooking, the leaves are washed from the marinade.

3 Another way.We collect young light green leaves and rinse them thoroughly with running water.Pour boiling water for 3 minutes, immediately cool in cold water.We roll 10 pieces into tubes. put it tightly in the jar.Pour boiling water twice for 5 minutes each, a third time with boiling brine - 1 tbsp per 1 liter of water. salt.Roll up and wrap in a blanket until completely cool.In winter, be sure to soak up excess salt!

Here's another interesting one unusual way pickling leaves. Unfortunately it is not written. who is author. You need to take the youngest, most tender, small grape leaves that grow at the very tips of the vine (no further than the fourth leaf). Like these ones

You need to pick at least a couple bags of leaves. In general, the more, the better) Important! Leaves must be whole, dry and clean.

Now we fold the leaves several at a time, roll them into a tube and put them in the bottle.

We need a rolling pin to periodically compact the leaves with it. You need to press gently, but firmly, trying to leave as little free space in the bottle as possible.

When the bottle is filled, you need to pour salt into the neck. As much as will fit, to the brim) If you filled the bottle tightly enough, the salt should not seep down. It will remain in the neck, or will go down slightly. Next, the bottle should be screwed tightly and stored in a cool place. Maybe in the refrigerator, maybe in the basement.

In the next photo, on the right is last year’s preparation (the one we didn’t have time to eat in winter), on the left is today’s. It can be seen that the leaves have changed color, that they have “shrunk”, but the taste of the leaves has not changed.

Everything is quite simple, isn’t it?) You may have only one question - how to get this precious product out of the bottle? It’s very simple) When you start preparing dolma, take a sharp knife and cut off the bottom of the bottle without regret. The leaves will happily fall out to meet you) All you have to do is rinse them from salt, throw them into boiling water, boil for five minutes and start preparing one of the most delicious dishes in the world - tolma from grape leaves!

These beautiful, fragrant, and also healthy leaves improve the taste and serve as a base. delicious dishes and drinks such as, for example, dolma (stuffed cabbage rolls in grape leaves), sarmale, grape tea. I'll tell you how to prepare grape leaves for the winter, spending minimal amount time and effort.

The most suitable time of year for collecting and storing grape leaves for the winter for dolma is considered to be spring, when the vine has not yet had time to bloom. Then new shoots grow and tender young leaves are formed. Take grape leaves for dolma that are undamaged and of the same size. It doesn't matter whether they are big or small - it depends on personal preference.

Tender young grape leaves that have not yet had time to harden are suitable for harvesting for future use. You can distinguish them as follows: young leaves are light green in color, their veins are not hard, the leaf blade is elastic and elastic. Experts assure that best leaves White grape varieties are more tender.

It is from these leaves that dolma or tolma is prepared, a dish popular in the cuisines of the peoples of Transcaucasia, the Balkan Peninsula, Western and Central Asia, as well as North Africa. Essentially these are the same cabbage rolls, however, twisted into the shoots of a vine. In Moldova, grape leaves with minced meat wrapped in them are called cabbage rolls or sarmale. If dolma is prepared with lamb and rice, then sarmale with pork and rice.

From Wikipedia: word dolma originates from Turkic. dolmak "to be filled" (i.e. a grape leaf filled with meat, rice and spices).

Preparing grape leaves for cabbage rolls

Before you start storing the collected grape leaves for the winter, you need to prepare them for further processing. Trim the petioles or “tails” at the base of the leaf. Rinse the young leaves thoroughly under running water.

Then dry them by laying them out on a clean towel. If the leaves are of different sizes, sort them into two or three piles.

Grape leaves for dolma or cabbage rolls can be prepared for future use in one of the following ways:

pickling
pickling
freezing
preparation in plastic bottles
dry canning.

Pickling grape leaves

Grape leaves pickled for future use are very popular. You will learn how to pickle grape leaves for winter storage in the following recipe.

Take the prepared leaves, roll them into 10-15 pieces and place them tightly in the jar.
The jar and lid must be thoroughly washed and sterilized.
Next, pour boiling water over the leaves for 10 minutes, and after this manipulation, drain the water.
Do this procedure twice.
Now fill the workpiece with boiling marinade solution and seal with a lid.

Turn the jar upside down and cover with a warm blanket. Wait until it cools down completely.

Recipe for making marinade No. 1:

Water – 1 liter

9 percent vinegar - 2 tablespoons

Salt – 1 tablespoon

Sugar – 1 tablespoon

But in Azerbaijani cuisine Leaves are pickled without vinegar, only salt and citric acid.

Marinade recipe No. 2:

Water 1 liter

Salt – 1 tbsp. spoon without slide

Citric acid – 1/2 teaspoon.

Keep canned leaves grapes can be served at room temperature.

Salting grape leaves for dolma for the winter

There is a recipe, proven by generations, on how to preserve grape leaves. You can simply pickle them!

Brine Prepare this way: boil water with salt at the rate of 20 grams per 1 liter of liquid.

We take 10-15 prepared leaves, wrap them in rolls and place them tightly in a jar. The same as we did when we pickled the leaves. The jars must first be washed and sterilized. To prevent the rolls from falling apart, you can tie them with a thread.

Fill with warm brine up to the neck so that the entire contents are completely covered.

Next you need to roll up the jars and cool them.

They are stored in a dark room at low temperature or in the cellar. If there is no cellar, then in the refrigerator.

For spicy lovers there is version with mustard .

Place the leaves in a 1 liter jar.
Cover them with a mixture of: 1 tbsp. l. salt, 1 tbsp. l. mustard and 1 tsp. ground pepper.
Pour boiling water into the jar on top.
Close the lid.
Place the lid down.
Wrap up.
Keep it this way until the jar cools down.

Keep refrigerated.

Preparing grape leaves for the winter for dolma Freezing

We prepare many products using freezing. Grape leaves for cabbage rolls are also frozen. This way all useful elements are preserved.

Take 10-15 prepared leaves and roll them tightly into a tube.

To prevent the tube from unfolding, you can tie the leaves with thread or wrap the tube in cling film.
Some ready-made straws place in a transparent plastic bag.
Place in the freezer for storage.

Such preparations are compact and do not take up much space in the freezer.

Attention! Before stuffing the leaves, it is recommended to rinse them with hot water.

How to prepare grape leaves for dolma in a bottle for the winter

Preparing grape leaves for dolma in bottles for the winter is a way to keep this valuable product fresh. Preserving vine shoots in a bottle is done like this: roll 2-3 sheets and put them in a plastic bottle.

Attention! The bottle must be clean and dry.

Compact until the bottle is completely filled.

It is recommended to keep a bottle with grape leaves in a cool, dark place; under these conditions, the shelf life is at least 1 year.

How to prepare grape leaves for dolma for the winter using the dry method

Place the prepared grape leaves for dolma, one at a time, into a washed glass container, sprinkling a little salt.
Place the leaves in this manner until the jar is filled.
Place the workpiece in the oven and sterilize at low temperature for about ten minutes.
Seal the jar with a sterilized lid.
Place the container in a cool, dark place - in a refrigeration unit or underground.

This semi-finished product can be stored for up to 1 year.

Grape leaf tea

To brew tea, take 1 teaspoon of ready-made fermented tea leaves, pour 0.25 liters hot water. Infuse the drink for 10 minutes, then strain. You can add green or black tea to the grape brew to taste. Energetically valuable and healthy drink ready!

Is grape tea good or bad?

Grape leaves are a storehouse of health, they contain great amount minerals and vitamins. The nutritional value 100 grams is 93 kilocalories, contains 2.1 grams of fat, 5.6 grams of protein and 17.3 grams of carbohydrates. Also, 100 grams of grape leaves contain:

vitamins: beta-carotene – 16 mg (323.9% of daily norm); gr B – 14 mg (10%); A – 1376 µg (152.9%); C – 11.1 mg (12.3%); E – 2 mg (13.3%); K – 108.6 mcg (90.5%); microelements: Ca – 363 mg (36.3%); P – 91 mg; Mg – 95 mg (23.8%); K – 272 mg (10.9%); macroelements: Fe – 2.63 mg (14.6%); Mn – 2.855 mg (142.8%); Cu – 415 µg (41.5%); Zn – 0.67 mg; Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: 0.856 g (95.1% daily value).

Thanks to high content antioxidants improve vision, skin and hair condition. The rate of formation of free radicals is reduced, which reduces the possibility of developing cancer, atherosclerosis, cataracts and other diseases. An infusion of grape leaves is used for hypertension. A large number of calcium and manganese have a positive effect on the condition of bones and teeth.

To prepare an infusion of grape leaves, take 1 tablespoon of tea or just dry leaves, pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and infuse for 20 minutes.

Grape leaf tea has all the properties of fresh grape shoots. Drying is the best way preserve vitamins and microelements. True, if you brew tea from grape leaves, a certain amount of ascorbic acid will decompose under the influence high temperature. Other elements will be completely transferred into this drink, making it very nutritious and tonic.

There are contraindications prohibiting the use of tea made from grape leaves. Among them diabetes, obesity, ulcers and gastritis. It is necessary to carefully weigh the benefits and harms, and if you have any illnesses, we advise you to consult a doctor.

How to collect grape leaves for tea

Attention: Collect tea leaves from those vineyards that have not been treated or fed with chemically synthesized preparations.

You can dry both whole and slightly torn vine shoots. It is allowed to use substandard materials that are not suitable for other harvesting methods. Check them for signs of damage, rot and other stains. Then you need to wash and dry the sheets on a flat surface. Fold the leaves into an envelope and place them in an even layer on a baking sheet or wire rack. Place to dry in the oven or dryer. Ideal temperature– 65 gr. After drying, grind the tea leaves with your hands.

The tea really turns out wonderful. The young shoots make even better tea than the leaves. The length of the mustache is approximately 15 cm.

Don't Skip the Tea Fermentation Process

Ready fermented tea is stored in a closed glass container (jar) or in a paper or canvas bag in a dark, dry place.